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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's rare for me to guess an ending and still enjoy a book! It was a great time AND I feel smart so it was overall pretty darn good.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
'My dear Caroline,' I said. 'There's no doubt at all about what the man's profession has been. He's a retired hairdresser. Look at that moustache of his.'
Christie certainly fooled me with this one. A perfectly fiendish mystery. All the clues were there but I failed to use my little grey cells in the right way and the ending came as a big shock.
What isn't a surprise is that Roger Ackroyd is murdered. And not long after our narrator, Dr Sheppard, has seen him.
The good doctor is allowed to accompany Poirot on his investigation after an hilarious start where the Dr and his busybody sister Caroline mistake the incognito new neighbour, who grows marrows, for a hairdresser 🤣.
There's a wicked level of humour throughout. Caroline is like a version of Miss Marple who seems to know everything that goes on in the village including who her brother's patients are and why they are seeing him, much to his chagrin.
He may be educated with a respected profession but his sister always gets the better of him and then during the investigation he's often at a loss as to what Poirot is going on about. He's cast in the role of the hapless Hastings. Poirot misses his friend Hastings but manages to belittle his abilities even when praising him:
'At times, he has said something particularly foolish, and behold that foolish remark has revealed the truth to me!'
Poirot is both pompous with his declarations of knowing everything and also kind and lovable. He's in fantastic form in this novel and Christie puts him into a clever plot full of the classic murder mystery type characters that she writes so well.
Blackmail, secrets & murder. It's all here. Poor Roger.
'My dear Caroline,' I said. 'There's no doubt at all about what the man's profession has been. He's a retired hairdresser. Look at that moustache of his.'
Christie certainly fooled me with this one. A perfectly fiendish mystery. All the clues were there but I failed to use my little grey cells in the right way and the ending came as a big shock.
What isn't a surprise is that Roger Ackroyd is murdered. And not long after our narrator, Dr Sheppard, has seen him.
The good doctor is allowed to accompany Poirot on his investigation after an hilarious start where the Dr and his busybody sister Caroline mistake the incognito new neighbour, who grows marrows, for a hairdresser 🤣.
There's a wicked level of humour throughout. Caroline is like a version of Miss Marple who seems to know everything that goes on in the village including who her brother's patients are and why they are seeing him, much to his chagrin.
He may be educated with a respected profession but his sister always gets the better of him and then during the investigation he's often at a loss as to what Poirot is going on about. He's cast in the role of the hapless Hastings. Poirot misses his friend Hastings but manages to belittle his abilities even when praising him:
'At times, he has said something particularly foolish, and behold that foolish remark has revealed the truth to me!'
Poirot is both pompous with his declarations of knowing everything and also kind and lovable. He's in fantastic form in this novel and Christie puts him into a clever plot full of the classic murder mystery type characters that she writes so well.
Blackmail, secrets & murder. It's all here. Poor Roger.
3.5 stars
Because I knew this book "broke the rules" in some way, I suspected the reveal once or twice while reading the book but discounted it because it didn't make that much sense. And unfortunately the actual reveal left me with the same feeling. Even though it is explained in a believable way I still feel kind of cheated and there's none of the usual satisfaction of reading an Agatha Christie mystery. That said, it's an extremely clever twist that deserves praise. I just couldn't really appreciate it.
Because I knew this book "broke the rules" in some way, I suspected the reveal once or twice while reading the book but discounted it because it didn't make that much sense. And unfortunately the actual reveal left me with the same feeling. Even though it is explained in a believable way I still feel kind of cheated and there's none of the usual satisfaction of reading an Agatha Christie mystery. That said, it's an extremely clever twist that deserves praise. I just couldn't really appreciate it.